Nama nominees shortlisted

ENTRIES for the 17th edition of the National Art Merit Awards (NAMA) have been closed with nominees already selected but will only be unveiled in February next year at a ceremony in Harare.

Nama is a platform where NACZ recognises outstanding achievements within the creative sector by rewarding excelling artists. The awards are a means of encouraging creativity and excellence in the quality of the arts, making Zimbabwe a force to reckon with on the international arena.

Impressively, there were 1 334 entries, which is a 72 percent increase from last year’s edition where there were 775, with music entries dominating.

Catherine Mthombeni, NACZ acting communication and marketing manager said nominees would be unveiled during the first week of February in preparation for the red carpet ceremony to be held on February 17 in Harare.

“Of the eight Nama categories (Music, Literary, Dance, Visual, Film and Television, Theatre, Media and Spoken Word), the highest increase was in music with 539 entries for the four award categories.

“Those who submitted include production houses, studios, stables, galleries, organisations, associations, groups, artistes, monitors and/or the public. Some of the entries were identified by monitors who were appointed by NACZ and kept an eye on any excelling artists throughout the year,” said Mthombeni. She said some entries came via email. “There were 215 entries submitted via the online platform. There was also a high participation of institutional monitors and individual monitors who contributed in reports that are key in the adjudication processes of NAMA.”